Despite a slow start to the season – the team was sporting an 0-2-0 record – evidence of the steady improvement of girls cross country abounded at the RI Oceanstate Meet this past Saturday, with the varsity team placing 11th out of 21 and JV ranking 8th out of 11 teams overall.

Head coach Suzanne Williams commented on the team’s improvement saying, “The girls varsity has really started to grasp the concept of ‘running and working together’ as a team, with our #1 runner coming in at 22:32 and our #5 runner coming in at 23:24. Less than 1 minute separates the 1st and 5th runners. This is a great accomplishment.”

The team’s progress has not been achieved easily, with many members battling a rash of various illnesses and injuries. Nevertheless, results at the meet indicated that the Warrior’s fortunes have taken a turn for the better.

Lauren Puleo, scoring as the team’s number one runner (64th, 22:32), had recently come off a long illness. In the JV race, Emma Barton overcame shin splints to score a medal for her 25th place finish (24:17). In an impressive coup, cross country newcomer Caroline Mellen (8th, 17:37) also captured a medal, beating out 60 other runners in the Freshman 4k race, her first race since her foot was injured in a September 9 meet.

Other highlights include the performances of the team’s six other varsity runners Mary Lou Ponsetto (73rd, 22:44) , Nina Tehranian (78th, 22:51), Kelsey Burke (84th, 23:01), Kristen Tobin (98th, 23:24), Chloe Jacques (114th, 24:04), and Carolyn Jones (121st, 24:17) . Up against 180 other competitors, the varsity squad held their own and ran a strategic race.

Although the results of last weekend’s meet were encouraging, Williams contends that there is still much work to be done. “We will continue to work on improving our focus and our racing skills,” she said.